The Third Violet

by Stephen Crane

  "I came to tell you," he began, "I came to tell you that perhaps I amgoing away."

  "Going away!" she cried. "Where?"

  "Well, I don't know--quite. You see, I am rather indefinite as yet. Ithought of going for the winter somewhere in the Southern States. I amdecided merely this much, you know--I am going somewhere. But I don'tknow where. 'Way off, anyhow."

  "We shall be very sorry to lose you," she remarked. "We----"

  "And I thought," he continued, "that I would come and say 'adios' nowfor fear that I might leave very suddenly. I do that sometimes. I'mafraid you will forget me very soon, but I want to tell you that----"

  "Why," said the girl in some surprise, "you speak as if you were goingaway for all time. You surely do not mean to utterly desert New York?"

  "I think you misunderstand me," he said. "I give this important air tomy farewell to you because to me it is a very important event. Perhapsyou recollect that once I told you that I cared for you. Well, I stillcare for you, and so I can only go away somewhere--some place 'wayoff--where--where---- See?"

  "New York is a very large place," she observed.

  "Yes, New York is a very large---- How good of you to remind me! Butthen you don't understand. You can't understand. I know I can find noplace where I will cease to remember you, but then I can find some placewhere I can cease to remember in a way that I am myself. I shall nevertry to forget you. Those two violets, you know--one I found near thetennis court and the other you gave me, you remember--I shall take themwith me."

  "Here," said the girl, tugging at her gown for a moment--"Here! Here's athird one." She thrust a violet toward him.

  "If you were not so serenely insolent," said Hawker, "I would think thatyou felt sorry for me. I don't wish you to feel sorry for me. And Idon't wish to be melodramatic. I know it is all commonplace enough, andI didn't mean to act like a tenor. Please don't pity me."

  "I don't," she replied. She gave the violet a little fling.

  Hawker lifted his head suddenly and glowered at her. "No, you don't," heat last said slowly, "you don't. Moreover, there is no reason why youshould take the trouble. But----"

  He paused when the girl leaned and peered over the arm of her chairprecisely in the manner of a child at the brink of a fountain. "There'smy violet on the floor," she said. "You treated it quitecontemptuously, didn't you?"

  "Yes."

  Together they stared at the violet. Finally he stooped and took it inhis fingers. "I feel as if this third one was pelted at me, but I shallkeep it. You are rather a cruel person, but, Heaven guard us! that onlyfastens a man's love the more upon a woman."

  She laughed. "That is not a very good thing to tell a woman."

  "No," he said gravely, "it is not, but then I fancy that somebody mayhave told you previously."

  She stared at him, and then said, "I think you are revenged for myserene insolence."

  "Great heavens, what an armour!" he cried. "I suppose, after all, I didfeel a trifle like a tenor when I first came here, but you have chilledit all out of me. Let's talk upon indifferent topics." But he startedabruptly to his feet. "No," he said, "let us not talk upon indifferenttopics. I am not brave, I assure you, and it--it might be too much forme." He held out his hand. "Good-bye."

  "You are going?"

  "Yes, I am going. Really I didn't think how it would bore you for me tocome around here and croak in this fashion."

  "And you are not coming back for a long, long time?"

  "Not for a long, long time." He mimicked her tone. "I have the threeviolets now, you know, and you must remember that I took the third oneeven when you flung it at my head. That will remind you how submissive Iwas in my devotion. When you recall the two others it will remind you ofwhat a fool I was. Dare say you won't miss three violets."

  "No," she said.

  "Particularly the one you flung at my head. That violet was certainlyfreely--given."

  "I didn't fling it at your head." She pondered for a time with her eyesupon the floor. Then she murmured, "No more freely--given than the one Igave you that night--that night at the inn."

  "So very good of you to tell me so!"

  Her eyes were still upon the floor.

  "Do you know," said Hawker, "it is very hard to go away and leave animpression in your mind that I am a fool? That is very hard. Now, youdo think I am a fool, don't you?"

  She remained silent. Once she lifted her eyes and gave him a swift lookwith much indignation in it.

  "Now you are enraged. Well, what have I done?"

  It seemed that some tumult was in her mind, for she cried out to him atlast in sudden tearfulness: "Oh, do go! Go! Please! I want you to go!"

  Under this swift change Hawker appeared as a man struck from the sky. Hesprang to his feet, took two steps forward, and spoke a word which wasan explosion of delight and amazement. He said, "What?"

  With heroic effort she slowly raised her eyes until, alight with anger,defiance, unhappiness, they met his eyes.

  Later, she told him that he was perfectly ridiculous.